While NCAA gold isn't as glamorous as the Olympic variety, the only thing that matters to King is that her goals are the same. 1. Swim fast. 2. Finish first.

Beginning Friday, Evansville’s two-time Olympic gold medalist will defend the NCAA titles she won last year as a freshman for Indiana University in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke races.

The fact that the NCAA meet is being held at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis on the campus of IUPUI is a bonus since she doesn't plan to disappoint her legion of fans.

"The 100, I'm definitely not worried about," said King. "The 200 is going to be a good race, down to the wire. Hopefully, I'll come out on top. I'm still a half second faster than anyone else, but it's just always been a bit more of a struggle of an event for me just because I'm so fast-twitch.

"I'm a very powerful swimmer and the 200 is more finesse and I guess pacing."

The former Reitz High standout broke her own U.S. record in the 100 breaststroke two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championship when she swam a 56.30. And based on NCAA qualifying times, she really shouldn't have a problem repeating as the champion in her signature event on Friday night. Florida State's Natalie Pierce has the nation's second fastest time of 58.37, which is more than two seconds slower than King.

She's not nearly as dominant in the 200 breast, however. At the Big Ten Championships, King's race with Minnesota's Kierra Smith - a Canadian Olympian - was tightly contested with King reaching the wall only 0.34 seconds faster, beating Smith 2:04.03 to 2:04.37.

King also holds the U.S. record in the 200 breast of 2:03.59, set at last year's NCAA meet. She'd like nothing better than to break both of her records this weekend.

"(Smith) is a 200 breaststroker and I'm a 100 breaststroker. I have to get far enough ahead of her so she can't catch me," said King, who will compete in the 200 breast on Saturday. "It's definitely not as easy as the 100 ... I've been swimming the 100 since I was 9 years old and I've done it a thousand times. The 200 I've only been swimming since I was 13 or 14.

"It's still a relatively new event for me - I'm still working with it. It's on its way to being good."

King will actually swim her first individual event with the 200-yard individual medley on Thursday. But she's not a medal favorite since she's only posted the 12th fastest time this year with a clocking of 1:55.49.

King claims she will be happy if she cracks the top eight to reach the A Final so she can earn points for IU in the team standings.Even that might be a challenge since the race consists of four required strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.

"I definitely can't do the first half of the race," she said. "I'm absolutely horrible on the first 100, but my back half is really good.